First off, I want to say that I'm sorry for not clarifying who has been writing these entries.... The first three posts were written by Sarah, Donna's daughter. I dont know how long I'll be in town, but my brother and dad are definitely going to be here for a long while, so they will be taking their turns writing updates, as well. We will specify who is writing from now on.
As some of you have heard, there was no surgery today. Other traumas came in that were more urgent, so my mom's was postponed; therefore, things were relatively slow today. My mom has been resting peacefully and we continue to see her external injuries healing. We continue to pray that her internal injuries are healing just the same. The surgery on her pelvis and arm has tentatively been re-scheduled for Monday. We hear that the orthopedic surgery schedule changes often, however, so we will just have to see when she officially gets in. Fortunately, she is very able to wait and there is not an enormous rush on this.
Tomorrow my mom will be having a tracheoscopy placed, as well as a PEG tube. These are longer-term breathing and feeding devices. The tubes that she currently has in her airways cannot stay because they increase the risk of infection, irritation in her throat, etc. These procedures are typically done at the ICU bedside, so unless there is an issue positioning her or something like that, she will not need to go to the operating room.
Tonight my mom was able to have her intracranial pressure (ICP) monitor removed. We've learned to celebrate the little things and this was an exciting milestone to have reached. I mentioned the ICP monitor earlier, but didn't explain it much. It is a small device designed to measure her brain pressure to monitor any swelling in the brain. To install the device, my mom had a small hole drilled into her skull and the monitor was actually placed (shallowly) into her brain. It was extremely important for her to have during the tense first few days, but keeping it in longer than necessary can increase her risk of infection and such, so it is fantastic that she doesn't need it anymore.
We also learned that my mom had another CT scan this morning. While the CT does not show all of the injuries that we hope are healing in my mom's brain, the injuries that were initially identified by earlier CT scans - such as small bleeds that occurred - are showing signs of healing. John and I even reviewed the CT report ourselves with one of the doctors... I know, we're not high maintenance at all! To be fair, we only accepted the offer after it was offered to us ;-) I know that my mom would be so proud of us for checking and double-checking everything ...it's something that has always been important to her and something she always made sure to do for us.
Today we were also blessed to (again!) have the chance to sit down with the neurosurgeons here, who have gone wildly out of their way to inform and support me and my family. I have always believed that everything happens for a reason, but it has never been more clear to me than it is right now why I ended up in some of the places that I did - in this case working in the neurosurgery department at this hospital to start my working career. My mom has come into this hospital with her own family of doctors already in place...we are truly fortunate.
I know I said I wouldn't be too wordy, but there was one other event today that had a big effect on us. My dad returned to the car in an attempt to collect some of he and my mom's belongings. My brother and I did not feel we should see the car, and although my dad was very sure that he should go, we made sure he had company rather than going alone. The message that he returned with was extremely clear for all of us - despite this tragic accident, we are incredibly blessed to have either of my parents here with us at all. In the words of my dad, "whoever designed the structure of that vehicle, I would like to buy them a drink."
-Sarah
No comments:
Post a Comment